Railroad signal



A. .H. TOLD RAILROAD SIGNAL Filed Jan. 19, 1934 Feb, 11, 1936.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN vEA/Toie fir/m/d f7. 701d ZQBQ, 1 9% Feb M, 1936. A. H. TOLD RAILROAD SIGNAL Filed Jan. 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEHTOE /7/"/v0/d 75/d Patented Feb. 1 1, 1 936 2,93 1% UNITED STAT eArsr RAILROAD SIGNAL Arnold H. Told, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 19, 1934, Serial No. 707,275

6 Claims. (Cl. 40-130) This invention relates to signs and particularly and taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figrailroad signals intended for both day and night ure 1.

indication. Figure 3 is a side view of a similar signal with Street and highway traflic signs utilizing cataanother form of invention applied thereto.

dioptric or reflex lenses for imparting information Figure 4 is a view of the device in Figure 3 5 at night have been used advantageously for the and taken at 90 thereto. purpose of avoiding the expense of supplying fuel Figure 5 is a View of a switch signal illustrating or electric current to illuminating lamps, the reanother form of the invention. flex lenses being disposed, in some instances, in Figure 6 is a top view of the structure in Figsignificant shapes or figures to reflect the rays of ure 5. 10 approaching headlights. However, such signs Figure 7 is a perspective view of a switch signal have been intended primarily for indication at iillustrating another form of the invention. night rather than in daylight when the reflecting Figure 8 is a detail cross section taken on the lenses are inoperative for practical purposes. line 8--8 of Figure 7.

l5 Reflecting lens devices heretofore in use have Figure 9 illustrates a railroad right-of-way not been adapted, generally, for application disign embodying a modification of the invention as rectly to the faces of signboards designed to imshown in Figure '7. part information in daylight. Figure 10 is a detail section on the line l@l0 Railroad signals, and particularly those for of Figure 9. indicating switches and derails, usually depend In Figures 1 and. 2 is illustrated the upper 20 upon the color as well as the shape and position portion of a low or dwarf railroad signal such as of an arm or blade for imparting the desired is commonly located directly in the path of light information in daylight and for this reason the rays from the headlights of approaching locoindicating faces of such signals have not been motives and used to indicate the position of a equipped with reflecting lenses. switch or derail. The staff I is mounted at the 25 Switch stands now in use are provided at the bottom upon suitable rotational mechanism (not top with lamps secured in place by a set screw shown) which is controlled by the associated which can be easily removed, permitting removal switch or derail. Near the top of the staff are of the lamp. Also cases have been known in which mounted at 90 to each other the arms or blades th lamps h ve b n t r d so as t give the 2 and 3 shown in the present instance as formed 30 Wrong information with serious results. rigid with a central bracket portion 4 which is An important object of the present invention secured to the staff The blade 2 is disposed is to provide a light reflecting device which may horizontally and y be conveniently l r be applied conveniently and advantageously dired to indicate an open switch or closed derail, rectly to the faces of railroad signal blades and and the blade 3 is inclined at appr xima ly 35 signboards without unduly obstructing the view and may be COYIVGIIiBIIlJIY C010red y w o thereof in daylight, part the well known caution or proceed signal. Another object is to provide a, railroad Signal It Will be lllldGlStOOd. that rotation Of the staff in which a plurality of differently colored and/or 1 y means of the w tc 01 derail Controlled arranged reflex elements are carried on one mechanism referred to will cause the blades 2 more boards so as to be moved therewith into 3 t mOVed Selectively Operative posidifferent operative positions to impart desired in- 1 faclng l 'l alfic, and practically formation at night by reflecting the rays of invisibfle; an 1noperat1ve pOSltlOl'lS paralleling the line 0 ra c. proachmg headlights both the day mght Mounted on each of the blades 2 and 3 are a 45 indicating means being inoperative for practical purposes when out of said positions.

erabl though not necessaril ro ect from both These P and Pthers are atta'med by the sides of each blade as showt i 2 3ml these casings structures llustrated 1n the accompany drawreceive the reflecting lenses 6. It will be observed g m P therefore that the lenses 6 on each blade are 50 f' ll e 1 IS a pf p VIEW Of mllroad disposed to impart information in the same di- SW slgnal ShOWlng 0119 form of the inventiOIl rections as the indicating faces of the blade by ppl theretoreflecting the rays of headlights of approaching Figure 2 is another view of the same showing traffic at night. The lens mountings substanan edge of one of the indicating blades or boards tially outline the blades and the lenses may be 55 series of lens casings: or housings 5 which prefcolored to correspond with the respective blades whereby both the shaping and coloring of the night signal and the daylight signal will be the same. The casings 5 may be secured to the signal blades by welding or, if desired, small bolting flanges or lugs may be provided thereon. The lens mountings are of small shape and are substantially spaced apart so as not to unduly obstruct the view of the colored blades in the daytime.

In Figures 3 and 4, the reflecting lenses are mounted upon base plates 7, 8 and 9, which correspond in external contour with the shaping of the mounting portions of the respective blades [5 and I511. The opposing base plates 9 at each end of blade l5a are secured together and to the blade by rivets 9a. The base plates 1 and 8 are provided with attaching lugs la and 8a. Projecting from the base plates I and 9 are groups of lens housings or casings l0 and H mounting the reflecting lenses !2 and 13. The base plate 8 is provided with a single reflecting lens M. It will be understood that the lens arrangements on each blade preferably will be similar, the different lenses I2 and I4 being shown as applied to the horizontal blade l5 for illustrative purposes. Preferably the base plates 1, 8 and 9 will be colored the same as the corresponding signal blades, as will the lenses l2, l3 and I4, so that day indication will not be obstructed and the indication at night will be the same as that in daylight in both position and color of parts. In practice, the lens mountings ID and I I may project laterally from the respective blades a substantially less distance than shown in Figure 3.

In Figures 5 and 6, the lens mountings I6 are provided with small lateral flanges IT for attachment to the edges of the signal blades l8 and I9. The mountings l6 extend on both sides of the supporting blades and receive the oppositely facing reflecting lenses 2!] and 2|. This type of lens mounting if disposed around the edge of the blade as shown, will clearly indicate the shape thereof at night. Moreover, the visibility of the indicating face of the blade in daylight is not materially affected by the lens mountings.

In Figure '7, the blades 22 and 23 are equipped with lens casings 24 and 25 for mounting the elongated narrow lenses 26 and 21 extending continuously around the respective blades adjacent the edges thereof. The lens mountings may be conveniently welded to the faces of the blades and in practice may be substantially smaller than is shown in the drawings relative to the size of the blade in order to cover as little of the face of the blade as possible. This type of lens mounting may also be attached to the edge of the blade in order to leave the entire face unobstructed, or may extend in a single strip through the center of the blade.

In Figure 9 is shown a railroad signboard 28 inclined approximately 45 to the horizontal and having a series of lens casings 29, 30 and 3| secured to the edges thereof by means of lugs 32. The casings mount reflecting lenses 33, 34 and 35 forming substantially continuous lines around the margins of both faces of the sign. The lenses thus are disposed to clearly indicate in opposite directions both the shape and angular disposition of the signboard at night. The lenses and lens mountings in this form offer no obstruction to the View of the signboard in the daylight. The sign shown is commonly used to indicate a restricted speed track section and the speed designating numeral may also be marked with reflex lenses.

The various forms of the invention illustrate practical means of applying reflecting lenses to railway signals and particularly switch and derail signals without the necessity of providing a separate part of the signal for mounting the lenses and at the same time without unduly obstructing the view of the signal blade. Thus the signals are more compact and durable and are less expensive than the lamp signals heretofore in use. Moreover, the novel signal is adapted to impart desired information by arrangement and disposition of parts as well as by color and, accordingly has advantages over lamp signals which impart information at night merely by colors. Arrangement of the reflex buttons to indicate the angular disposition of the signboard has the advantage that the observer will be able to distinguish the signal even though he may be color blind since it is well known among railroad employes that a horizontal position means danger or stop, a diagonal position means caution, and a vertical position means clear.

A further advantage of the novel signal is that the lens mountings can be conveniently welded or riveted to the signboard which, in turn, may be similarly secured to the staff. Thus considerable difliculty would be experienced in removing the lenses, which would necessitate breaking the glasses or distorting the sign blades so that an approaching engine driver can detect the tampering or damage.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the exact details of the structures illustrated but may be modified in various respects as will occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains and the exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a signal plate with opposite surfaces for imparting information in the daylight in different directions, a series of relatively small casings located immediately beyond an edge of said plate and clear thereof and each having a lug supporting said casing from said plate, and a plurality of reflex lenses in each of said casings facing in said directions for imparting information at night by reflecting rays from headlights of traflic approaching from said different directions.

2. A device for application to differently shaped signal plates comprising a relatively small casing with a lens opening, and a supporting lug projecting laterally from said casing for attachment to the plate, said device being adapted to be applied with one or more similar devices to an edge of a signal plate to indicate the shape and extent of said edge at night.

3. In combination, a signal plate, and indicating means therefor comprising a series of relatively small casings disposed in spaced relation along an edge of said plate and beyond the same, each of said casings mounting a reflecting lens and having a restricted'lug attached to said plate, whereby said means indicates the shape of said plate, said means being applicable to signal plates of different sizes and shapes by varying the numher and relative disposition of said casings.

4. A compact indicator device for application to a signal plate irrespective of the thickness of the material therein comprising a casing adapted to be disposed transversely of the plate and secured thereto and having oppositely facing openings, and lenses in said openings for indication on both sides of the plate at night.

5. A signal comprising a plate member, and a plurality of devices as specified in claim 4 applied adjacent the edges of said plate member, and indicating substantially the shape and extent of said edges.

6. In a signal, support structure, a plate carried thereby and. having oppositely facing indicating faces, and a relatively small device mounted directly on the body of said plate independently of said structure and comprising a casing extending through said plate and lens elements in said casing facing in opposite directions.

ARNOLD H. TOLD. 

